The present invention concerns manual transmission shifters for vehicles, and more particularly concerns a manual transmission shifter having an ignition-key-interlock mechanism.
It is important to prevent vehicles having manual transmission shifters from rolling when parked on an inclined surface. Most drivers of a vehicle having a manual transmission either engage a park brake or shift the manual transmission shifter into a gear, such as reverse gear, when parking the vehicle as a matter of habit. However, sometimes a driver will inadvertently forget. When this happens on an incline, the vehicle will begin to roll away unless the driver notices the problem soon enough to get back in the vehicle and press on the brake.
One way of making sure that a driver remembers to place a manual transmission shifter in a gear position is to require the manual transmission shifter to be in a gear position before the ignition key of the vehicle is removed. However, vehicle manufacturers want to accomplish this important function without requiring a cumbersome separate motion by a driver of the vehicle. Further, it is important not to inconvenience the driver. Still further, a shifter incorporating a mechanism to do this should be reliable, low cost, and preferably non-complex.
Accordingly, a shifter for a manual transmission is desired solving the aforementioned problems.